Muddling Through
by Lyeundu
Summary: Kakashi struggles to adapt to a new role after taking custody of his sensei's son in the wake of the Kyuubi attack. *Spoiler warning inside* baby Naruto; additional characters: Mikoto, Gai, Jiraiya, Iruka, Shikaku, Sandaime, Inoichi, Anko, Ebisu, etc.
1. Familiar Faces

***Spoilers*** References Naruto's mother (though not by name) and something about her that is revealed in chapter 498 of the manga. Oh, and Kakashi would be about 14 here.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, this is just for fun.

* * *

For the first time in years, Kakashi stared into the face of adversity and felt completely unequipped, incapacitated. Sudden and traumatic losses had, unfortunately, become almost a second nature to him at this point, the most recent of his scars only having a few days to begin healing. He had adapted to the painful shocks, but this new helplessness was something else, something that slowly sapped away at the will that held him together. His exhausted mind railed against what seemed a hopeless reality, unwilling to make room for the outcome that loomed before him.

* * *

Mikoto was scanning the street for the right building, a block away when she first heard the bloodcurdling scream of the child. Panic flooded her veins. She raced down the road and up the stairs, bursting through the door . . . only to freeze in place, the sharp edge of a kunai pressed against the tender skin of her throat.

"Talk." a terse voice grunted in her ear, the attacker gripping one of her arms tightly behind her at a painful angle. The adrenaline still swamped her system, draining her processing abilities as her mind frantically tried to dredge up the signal that Sarutobi had finally given her. She cautiously formed the sign with her free hand, tensing as the blade wavered for a second before retreating, the vice on her arm loosening. Mikoto twisted to look at her assailant, the silver haired teen practically shaking with nervous energy, his eye red and bloodshot. The baby in the next room broke off his wail to gather a breath, gasping as he let loose another lungful.

"What have you been doing to him?" she glared at the boy, roughly shoving past him to retrieve the newborn. The child's ruddy complexion was pinched in frustration, his small frame showing the early warning signs of malnutrition. Mikoto stroked the soft blond locks, murmuring to the little one and gently rocking him in her arms to comfort him without any apparent success.

"I haven't done anything to him," Kakashi growled, settling against the edge of the table. "He won't eat, he won't sleep, I've tried everything I can think of, but he won't calm down. He hasn't stopped crying for the three days since I took custody, except for the few hours that he passes out from exhaustion. I'm starting to wonder if the Kyuubi is doing something to him."

"He had plenty of exposure before he was born, he should be used to it's chakra by now," Mikoto warmed a bottle, entreating the newborn to swallow something, even just a few drops. The tiny fingers fisted against her, his head twisting away from her advances. She couldn't understand it, neither of her own boys had ever shown this much distress, even after a few days without the familiar comfort of her voice. A realization struck her like a ton of bricks and she handed the child to Kakashi. She held the image in her mind, her hands flowing through the seals as she offered a silent prayer for luck. "Henge!"

The elder boy's eye widened with understanding as she lifted Naruto, cooing to him gently with his mother's voice. He finally began to relax, bathed in the scent he recognized and gripping loose strands of long red hair in his fist. After about ten minutes his breathing had slowly returned to normal and Mikoto managed to coax him into taking the bottle. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a wave of relief wash over Kakashi, the micro-movement invisible to any but a trained observer.

The young jounin protested when she suggested that he try to get some rest, refusing to budge until he knew that his charge had been seen to. The infant quickly drifted off, unconsciously gumming the bottle as weariness took him, and Mikoto again handed him over. Kakashi thanked her profusely, seeing her out with her assurances that she would return in the morning once things had calmed down. He gently laid Naruto in his little bed, turning out the light and crawling under his own covers as he looked at the boy in the pale moonlight, a tired smile forming as he let sleep sweep over him.

* * *

**(A/N)** Haven't quite decided if I'm going to extend this yet or let it stand on it's own, leave a review if you want to offer your opinion or motivate me to write more. If you like this story then check out my related fic "Babysitting", it takes place in the same reality/universe.

Thanks for reading! ^_^


	2. Early Days

Kakashi sat up in bed, his vision blurred from sleep, wondering why he was conscious. He was certain something had woken him, but then again, after being awake for the previous eighty or so hours he had also been fairly convinced that the spots dancing in his vision were also real. Faint cooing sounds brought his mind to the present, pulling his attention to the baby that was stirring. He groaned when he caught sight of the clock, realizing just how little time had passed since his head had hit the pillow.

Forcing himself from his bed, Kakashi ambled into the kitchen to heat up a bottle of formula. Through the window he could see the moon sinking lower in the sky, only a few more hours before sunrise. Naruto was warming up his lungs when his caretaker returned for him, the small eyes still squinted shut. Kakashi lifted the boy and moved to the sofa, settling down and offering him the bottle. Taking advantage of the trick Mikoto had come up with earlier that night, he managed to get the infant to feed, smiling tiredly at the soft sounds that accompanied each gulp. He studied the boy's small features, wondering how it was that two of the strongest shinobi he'd ever known could have begotten so tiny and fragile a creature.

The young jounin repositioned Naruto as he finished eating, holding the child against his shoulder and gently stroking his back. It was strangely comforting, he decided, the warm little body curling to fit against him as if by design. Kakashi hummed quietly, a lullaby that his father had sung to him when he was young, though he'd forgotten the words by now. The soft gurgling sounds coming from Naruto had a surprisingly hypnotic effect, and before long Kakashi felt his eyelid losing the battle with gravity as his head leaned back against the wall, holding the baby close.

* * *

Early morning light was already filtering in when a knock at the door woke him. Kakashi carefully laid Naruto down next to him on the sofa, the baby mumbling in his sleep to protest the loss of warmth, and moved to answer the door. He was greeted with a sad smile from Mikoto, reminding him of his appearance as he quickly released the jutsu that he'd fallen asleep using. Though he would have liked more sleep, he recognized the wisdom of the early visit. With the streets still empty and only younger genin teams up for their daily torture, er, _training_ sessions, she could slip in without anyone asking questions.

Mikoto had brought her own son along with her this time, a dark eyed baby with thick black hair. Kakashi was surprised at how much difference a few months made; the boy looked large compared to Naruto, even considering the weight the latter had lost over his first few days. On her instruction Kakashi woke the blond, fed him, and put him back to sleep. The next several hours were devoted to a crash course in the fundamentals of childcare, everything from hygiene and nutrition to sleep schedule and entertainment. The young jounin's mind reeled at the amount of information he was expected to assimilate, and he very nearly considered thinking about hugging her when Mikoto pulled a few books on the matter from her bag and handed them over.

Kakashi quickly adapted to a life of three hour intervals, focusing all of his energy and attention on getting Naruto healthy. He soon discovered that Minato's form worked nearly as well as Kushina's at quieting the boy when he fussed, a fact which he was grateful for after his friend had burst in for an unexpected visit. Kakashi didn't care what the circumstances were, as far as he was concerned Gai was the last person who had the right to make jokes about what someone else was wearing, and he wasn't keen on giving his friend another opportunity to tease.

After two weeks Kakashi finally felt like he was getting a handle on this baby thing. He was lucky that he had some experience raising dogs, he realized, because a surprising amount of necessary skills overlapped. Which made sense in a way; no matter what kind of baby you were dealing with the basic problem remained the same, that of trying to interpret non-verbal cues from someone who can't yet tell you what he needs. By now he was starting to pick up the nuances: rubbing eyes and grumpy sobs meant Naruto had been kept up too long, the soft whimper that slowly rose in intensity with the pinched face chastised him for waiting too long to change him, while the severe wail demanded food NOW.

Kakashi's favorite mannerism - and coincidentally the quietest - was the one that told him that the baby was entertained, or at least intrigued. Naruto's cerulean eyes would fix on his face, accompanied by a slightly puzzled expression, and follow him constantly. At first it had been a little unnerving, far too much like one of those paintings that always seemed to be looking at you no matter where you stood. After a few days he had noticed that the puzzled expression was replaced by curiosity and interest when he transformed to calm the boy, and when experimentally pulling down his mask yielded the same results, he took to leaving it down when Naruto was awake. The baby's behavior changed dramatically after that; he fussed far less and seemed more alert, more awake somehow. He was eating more too, growing at a nice, healthy pace.

At this point Kakashi no longer needed to transform; Naruto had gotten used to him, attached even, but he still used Minato's form when he put the boy down for the night. He remembered how excited his sensei had been anticipating the birth of his child, and though the father had been deprived of the chance to connect with his son, Kakashi wanted to give Naruto an anchor to his family, his past. Kakashi had also been young when his father had died, and he couldn't imagine what it would be like to have a blank in place of the memory of his father's face. He felt that the least he could do for the man he had so greatly respected was to ensure that his son would remember him.

* * *

**(A/N)**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review, I have ADD and it motivates me to focus my attention on writing!


	3. Visitors

Kakashi gently laid his charge in the small tub, the baby splashing lightly in the lukewarm water. One of the baby books had said to hold off on bathing until the boy's belly had healed from the umbilical cord, which had taken longer than expected as the seal had aggravated the wound. Naruto seemed to being enjoying his first bath though, playing in the water that Kakashi dripped over him, looking up at the teenager with those big blue eyes. Kakashi smiled at the child, amused by how little it took to entertain him. The wouldn't last of course, eventually all these new experiences would loose the novelty and he'd have to find something else to hold the boy's interest. The corners of Naruto's mouth pulled back for a second in a grin as he made his best attempt to drench Kakashi with the half inch of water, succeeding in weighing down a few tufts of silver with the dampness.

Kakashi dried the boy off and dressed him, smiling as Naruto yawned widely, trying to swallow his tiny fist in the process. After tucking the blond in his bed, he moved back to the main room, pulling up his mask and quietly closing the door when a green blur bounded in through the window. Gai was reeving up to belt out his usual greeting when he unexpectedly found himself forced to the floor, prone, with his face shoved into the rug.

"I _just_ put the kid down for a nap. If he wakes up, then so help me, I will find you in the middle of the night and shave your head while you sleep," Kakashi hissed in his ear. Gai quickly grunted his surrender, his wrist beginning to tingle from loss of circulation where his friend gripped it. He pulled back as the hold loosened, laughing at himself for getting sloppy. After his first visit Gai had developed the sense not to mask his chakra before making an entrance - a startled Kakashi being a very, very dangerous Kakashi - but that had been no excuse for him to lower his guard and take a clean landing for granted.

Relaxed now that the potential nuisance had been averted, the two teenagers were pulling themselves off of the floor when Kakashi picked up on an itch at the back of his head that had only ever accompanied the chakra signature of a certain individual. He sighed as the door flew open, leveling a heavy lidded stare at large form that strutted into the room. For a safe house, the apartment was turning out to be uncharacteristically well trafficked.

"All right, I've been on the road for the last two weeks, now where is my godson?" Jiraiya announced, his bellow followed closely by a high-pitched cry from the bedroom. Gai unconsciously raised a protective hand to his shiny, black mop as Kakashi hung his head in defeat, pointing toward the appropriate door.

* * *

Kakashi sighed as Gai dragged him toward the training grounds, still slightly stunned by the realization that he'd been evicted from his own home. The Toad Sage had ordered him out into the sunshine after learning that he'd been so dedicated to his new responsibilities that he hadn't left the apartment in three weeks. Kakashi's muscles had started feeling a little tight after being cooped up for so long though, so the prospect of a little exercise was a welcome one. He jerked his wrist free and stuffed his hands in his pockets, falling into step beside his friend.

"So, what's it going to be today?" Gai crowed, thrilled that he had finally gotten his rival out for a little fun. "100 meter dash? Wall running? In honor of Jiraiya's arrival we could see who is more successful at stealthy infiltration of the bathhouse."

"What is it with you and all these little competitions?" Kakashi rolled his eye. "What's wrong with simply sparring?"

"Okay then," Gai smiled mischievously as they reached the training field, dropping into a low spinning kick aimed at the other's legs. Kakashi leapt backward, narrowly dodging the kick and the fist that followed as Gai shifted the momentum into an uppercut.

_Huh, he's been getting faster. All right, if that's how he wants to play it then I'm game._ Kakashi shoved the headband up, exposing his left eye. Gai's grin widened, pleased that his rival considered him a challenge. He charged in again, fists flying with unnatural speed as Kakashi ducked under his arm, grabbing the extended limb and falling back to pull his opponent off balance and throw him. Gai absorbed the attack, tumbling forward into a controlled shoulder roll to regain his footing.

This time Kakashi initiated, leading with his right, left, spinning clockwise when both were blocked to send his left foot rocketing towards his friend's head. The leg brushed the tip of his nose as Gai leaned back to evade, diving forward at the same time to capture the supporting leg between his own and twisting to force his friend to the ground, pinning him.

The jounin dissolved with a flash and crackle, the mild jolt stinging Gai as the weakly charged lightning clone dissipated. At the same time he felt a pair of hands grab him from below, pulling his torso downward until only his head remained above the ground. His friend's face slid into view a moment later, hovering upside-down as Kakashi leaned over him, eyes crinkled in an amused smile.

"Having a little trouble, are we?" the silver haired boy asked innocently.

"What happened to 'simply sparring'?" Gai snorted, wondering how the hell his rival had gotten out of his sight long enough to pull the switch.

"Taijutsu isn't the only skill I use in combat. Besides, it wasn't me that started out by trying to prove he wasn't the only person who could be caught off guard." Kakashi replied. "I'll lay off the ninjutsu if you want to begin again, properly this time."

* * *

Several hours later Gai declared himself the victor and Kakashi consented, the latter basing his judgement more on number of bruises than on times pinned as he hadn't particularly cared to keep score. The two teenagers were exiting the bathhouse - refreshed and relaxed after soaking away the grime and the ache from their long practice session - when Kakashi put a hand on Gai's shoulder, stopping his friend as he felt that familiar itch again. He glanced to the side of the road, eyeing a group of women clustered around a bench. Moving over to investigate, the two pressed gently through the crowd to find none other than Jiraiya at the center, relishing the attention that the baby in his arms was drawing. Kakashi glared at him, snatching Naruto and stalking towards home, thankful that the man had at least had the sense to disguise the child's distinctive features with henge no jutsu before bringing him out in public where he was vulnerable.

"What's his problem?" Jiraiya grumbled, pouting a bit as the throng of admirers broke apart.

"I think he's a little annoyed to find out that you had ulterior motives for sending him off earlier."

"What ulterior motives? All I did was bring the kid out for a little fresh air, let him see the sunshine for once in his life. It can't be good to keep him cooped up all the time. The girls were just an unexpected bonus."

"Of course," Gai replied politely, respecting the older man enough to at least pretend that he believed him.

* * *

**(A/N)** Thank you for reading! And please leave a review to let me know what you think, or if you want to suggest any ideas for things/characters you'd like to see, I could always use inspiration!


	4. Moving Forward

Kakashi sat before the memorial stone, tracing the engraved characters with one hand while the baby in his lap played with the fingers of the other. It felt fitting to be back here again, back with the people that had gone on ahead. It had been well over a month since he'd last stood here. Over a month since the attack. Since the new names had been added to the face of the stone, the edges on the carvings not yet weathered smooth.

He paused, just for a fraction of a second, as his hand came to Obito's name. His stomach clenched involuntarily as he remembered the promise he'd made on that day just over a year ago; far too little time had passed before that promise had been broken and Rin's name had been added to the stone as well. Kakashi let his arm fall to his side as he closed his eye, releasing a slow breath as he calmed his mind, meditating on the conversation from earlier.

* * *

Jiraiya had stopped by the apartment that morning, wanting to check in once more before heading out into the world again to try and dig up any additional information regarding the attack nearly six weeks before. The Sannin sat at the table, rocking Naruto while Kakashi made himself breakfast. He watched the silver haired teenager, concerned with the way he had sequestered himself with the child over the past several weeks.

The life of a shinobi was never easy, particularly when that life had traversed the battle-scarred face of a war torn world. No one came through that unscathed, much less a fourteen year old, no matter how gifted he was or how long he had trained. To survive that kind of loss and persevere he needed to stay connected to people, to the village; without lifelines he could easily drown in the isolation.

"So, how long are you planning to keep this up?" Jiraiya asked, settling the baby into the bassinet as Kakashi sat down with his bowl, puzzled by the older man's question. "I've been here for nearly a week and I've only seen you go out the once, and even then you had to be tag teamed and dragged from the premises."

"He needs to be looked after," Kakashi shrugged. "After that stunt you pulled I couldn't very well trust you to take care of him properly."

"What stunt? All I did was take the kid for a walk, it's not as if I brought him along on a mission or anything," Jiraiya sighed. The boy stayed silent, absently offering his finger for the baby to grasp. "Kakashi, I know that you're still hurting. We all are, but hiding yourself away in here isn't going to help."

"I'm not hiding from anything," Kakashi replied flatly, not looking up from the bassinet. "He's such a fragile little thing, I'm just making sure that he stays safe. He needs to be protected, and I can't risk … I can't let anything happen to him."

Jiraiya laid his hand on the boy's shoulder, finally getting Kakashi to raise his gaze to the man's face.

"I've known the old man a long time, and he wouldn't have entrusted Naruto to you if he didn't think that you could take care of him. Hell, I wouldn't trust you with him if I didn't _know_ that he was safe with you; he is my godson after all," Jiraiya smiled. "I realize that there is still a lot of tension in the village after the attack, but eventually it will pass, or at the very least calm down. And in the meantime, you are more than a match for anything that comes along; you just have to have a little faith in yourself."

Kakashi nodded, his eye glazing over a bit as he lost himself to introspection, picking at his food while he thought. After a few minutes Jiraiya rose and excused himself, hoping that he had gotten through to the young jounin. Fortunately, the boy's friend showed every intention of staying around; with Gai popping up all the time Kakashi wouldn't have a chance to fence himself off completely. As eccentric as the chunin was, he seemed to realize how important it was to keep things in perspective and focus on moving forward. Granted that perspective tended to be a bit skewed, but at least his heart was in the right place, always looking for the positive. Jiraiya chuckled to himself, amused at the realization that he was actually hoping Gai would rub off on someone; the chances of most anyone viewing Gai as a serious role model seemed understandably slim.

* * *

"Incoming," Pakkun spoke up from beside him, bringing Kakashi's mind back to the present. "Just the squirt that's been dropping off groceries the past couple of weeks, nothing to worry about."

The teenager mumbled a reply, his gaze continuing to dance across the memorial as the soft thud of footsteps rose behind him. The visitor faltered when he saw Kakashi, pausing for a moment before hesitantly drawing up alongside.

"That's him, isn't it?" the younger boy asked.

"He is a him, yes," Kakashi replied nonchalantly.

"That's not what I said," the genin stated, a slight edge creeping into his voice. Kakashi turned to look at him, an eleven year old with brown hair and a scar cutting across the bridge of his nose.

"I think that is what you meant though, because otherwise I might be inclined to take it poorly," Kakashi smiled coldly at the boy, his tone making it very clear just how little he was willing to tolerate today. The genin tensed a little, turning his eyes to the memorial and stubbornly ignoring the baby that was staring up at him curiously. "What's your name again?"

"Umino Iruka," the boy grunted.

"Your parents?" he asked, finding the two names. Iruka nodded, squeezing his eyes closed to push back the tears. "I'm sorry for your loss, but you weren't the only person that had his family taken away that day."

"I thought that-" Iruka began, looking at him with confusion.

"I don't mean me," Kakashi interrupted softly, looking down at Naruto. "He wasn't even an hour old before he was left all alone. He's just an orphan, same as you. Same as me. And a lot more people would have died without this orphan. I don't care what people have been telling you, he isn't the demon."

The tightness left the genin's shoulders as he finally dropped his gaze to the small face. The blue eyes screwed shut as the baby yawned widely, his tiny arms curling up in front of him as Naruto stuck a thumb in his mouth and started to drift off. Iruka's expression softened, the few remaining traces of hostility dissolving into sympathetic melancholy.

"I'll give you some privacy," the younger boy nodded appreciatively as Kakashi rose, taking care not to wake the baby as he headed back toward the apartment. Pakkun led the way, his nose primed to catch any whiff of trouble.

The tension in the air was nearly tangible as they walked along the thoroughfare, the glares on some of the faces bringing to the surface uncomfortable memories of the last few months before Sakumo's death. Kakashi pushed away the uneasiness; Jiraiya was right, keeping out of sight wouldn't solve anything. It would only encourage the behavior, making the perpetrators feel entitled to bully whomever they pleased.

If the villagers wanted to let fear and superstition govern them then it was their own failing, but Kakashi didn't have to make it easier for them by turning his back. He'd been down that road before, seen what suffering through that kind of animosity had done to his father; he damn well wasn't going to teach Naruto to crumble beneath the pressure the way that he had. And if anyone were foolish enough to move against the boy, he would quickly learn exactly how dangerous a provoked genius could be.

* * *

**(A/N)** I'm posting a couple of days early to make up for the fact that I'm abandoning the pretense of an update schedule. I'll keep a blurb with update info on my profile page, but my life is starting to get busy so it's easier not to force deadlines on myself. Future chapters will likely follow the feel of chapter 3, more time out in the village and interacting with a wider spread of characters.

Thanks to nmmi-nut for being an awesome beta-reader, check out her stories, she's very good. Thanks for reading! Leave a review, feedback keeps me productive.


	5. Underage Icha Icha

By about four months Kakashi was thrilled that Naruto had finally learned to start sleeping through the night. It meant that finally _he _was able to sleep through the night as well, rather than in the short chunks of time allowed between feedings and the afternoon naps that coincided with the baby's. The downside, however, was that he now had plenty of time during those naps to himself, and more often than not nothing to do with himself unless Gai popped in to bother him. The number of those random visits had shrunk considerably in the last week; the self-proclaimed Green Beast of Konoha had been recruited to teach at the academy along with several other of the younger chunin, freeing some of the more experienced ninja for missions outside the village. While he was glad that his friend was enjoying his new role as an instructor, Kakashi was consequently stuck in the apartment with a sleeping infant, alone and bored.

At first he'd used the time to practice some of his quieter and less hazardous jutsu - henge, bunshin, and the like – but after a while that had begun to get dull. Not to mention that it wasn't the best idea to drain his chakra reserves; one never knew when he would unexpectedly need to use it. Next Kakashi decided that he could summon the pack to keep him company, provide a little conversation as a distraction. That idea had fizzled on him after twenty minutes; when he complained that chasing rabbits wasn't an interesting enough topic of conversation the dogs had all left, miffed at his lack of appreciation for their subject matter. After realizing the inherent problem of trying to play a strategy game against a shadow clone – namely that it is very difficult to outthink someone who knows all of your moves – he was just about at his wits end. He'd already studied his scrolls on jutsu forms many times, and by now he'd even gone through each of the baby books from Mikoto at least twice. Scanning through them again was always an option, but a man could only read informational material so many times before it loses its ability to hold his attention.

In a flash of insight, Kakashi recalled a book that he had often seen at Minato's home – the book that had so greatly moved the man that he had named his son for the protagonist. Creeping quietly into the bedroom, Kakashi reached blindly under his bed for the box of mementos that he had collected from his sensei's home some months ago, photographs and favored keepsakes to hold onto for Naruto until he was old enough to appreciate them. Sure enough, the novel was nestled in with the rest, the beige cover bright with the promise of relief from this unrelenting boredom. Kakashi retrieved the book and slipped the box back into place, sneaking back out so he wouldn't disturb the sleeping baby.

He settled onto the sofa and turned to the first page, hoping that his apprehension over reading something that had come out of Jiraiya's head would prove unwarranted. Several chapters later he was interrupted by the sound of Naruto calling out for attention, surprised to discover that nearly two hours had passed without his noticing. Jiraiya may not have been the most skilled writer that he'd ever come across, but his storytelling was optimistic and strangely addictive, and Kakashi knew that he'd found the solution to his problem. Now he just needed to find out if the man had written anything else.

After feeding and changing the blond, Kakashi buckled him into the baby carrier and looped the straps over his arms, securing the boy against his chest where he could keep an eye on him. Naruto's head twisted in all directions as Kakashi stepped out into the road, wriggling with excitement as he took in all of the new sights and sounds that engaged his senses. Kakashi ignored the way that the bustle of the street parted before him as he walked, choosing to appreciate the extra space rather than consider why it was afforded to him. Passing by the academy on his way to the cluster of shops downtown, Kakashi spotted Gai in the yard with a class of the youngest students practicing basic taijutsu forms. He returned a wave from his friend, finally realizing why the chunin was having so much fun with his new position – hyperactive six-year olds were just about the only people who could keep up with his energy level.

Finally arriving at his destination, Kakashi was thrilled by what he discovered sitting among the bestsellers displayed in the store's front window. A couple raced across the bright orange cover, the words "Icha Icha Paradise" printed in crimson just above Jiraiya's name. His eye bright with anticipation, Kakashi darted into the store and snatched a copy from the stack, Naruto squealing with glee at the sudden motion. A quick glance around yielded only a few additional copies of "The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi", found on the bargain book pile for some reason. Kakashi shrugged, picking up a copy for himself before walking over to pay for his new treasures. Unfortunately, when the clerk looked up at the baby-laden teenager standing before him, he only scoffed and tucked the orange novel under the counter. The man pointed over his shoulder to a sign on the wall, large words spelling out the store's policy on selling adult content to anyone under 18.

"You've got to be kidding me," Kakashi groaned. He glared at another customer who had the audacity to giggle at his misfortune, the girl perched in the corner with her nose buried in whatever she was reading. Kakashi sighed and paid for the second of the books, trudging out into the street and around the corner. Once out of sight, the young genius laid the foundation for his devious plan around the unreasonable age restrictions. Simply using henge no jutsu wouldn't work; Naruto had developed the unpleasant habit of delivering an unexpected kick to the gut when he got too excited in his carrier, and the kid was just about strong enough now that such a kick might break the older boy's concentration. Instead he created a shadow clone - minus the telltale infant of course - and changed its appearance to match that of a middle-aged farmer he'd come across during his last mission out of the village.

Confidant of the success of his strategy, Kakashi leaned against the wall and waited patiently for his clone to return - unaware of the trio of jounin watching his antics with amusement from the window of the barbeque restaurant across the street. The boy narrowed his eye in irritation a minute later as memories from the shadow clone flocked back to him. Not only had she laughed at him before, now the girl in the shop – evidently a member of the Hyuuga clan – had picked up on his jutsu and ratted him out! Kakashi slouched down to sit on his heels, too lost in his schemes for sneaking past a Byakugan to notice when one of the jounin emerged and sauntered into the bookstore. He looked up again when Naruto babbled a greeting at the newcomer, surprised to find the coveted orange volume in the man's outstretched hand.

"You're thinking too hard. Sometimes the most effective course of action is the most obvious," Shikaku smirked down at the confused teenager.

"Not that I'm unappreciative," Kakashi began, taking the offered book. "But why-,"

"It was troublesome to watch that girl keep picking on you," Shikaku called over his shoulder as he strolled back to his teammates. "Besides, you're a good kid. Just don't tell my wife, she'll never let me hear the end of it."

Kakashi nodded, climbing to his feet and tucking the illicit novel under his shirt before scurrying home to savor his new prize.

* * *

**(A/N)**My beta-reader was too busy to check this over for me, but I didn't want to keep all of you lovely readers waiting. Just a warning, I may do some minor revisions later after she gets a chance to look it over, but probably only to clean up any confusing sentences and such.

I've got classes starting again soon, so future chapters may be as long as two weeks between updates. Sorry, but homework takes priority. Thank you all ahead of time for your patience!

And thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy. ^_^ Leave a review with your thoughts, hearing from you encourages me to write more!


	6. Less Than Thrilled

Kakashi grumbled to himself as he scrubbed at the sticky patches on the floor. Today he'd tried feeding Naruto something aside from formula, and he was now paying the price for stupidly leaving the little bowl of applesauce within the boy's reach when he'd gone to answer the door. Who knew that the kid could make that big a mess in less than 30 seconds? Dropping the sponge in the sink, Kakashi wiped his hands and went to collect Naruto so that they could go find out what the Hokage wanted him for.

He froze in his tracks as his vision fell onto the spot where he'd left the baby playing, the blanket now barren and the room empty. Panic pricked his skin as his eye darted to the window, cursing himself for leaving it open; anyone could have gotten in while his back was turned, and an abductor could be miles away by now with the helpless infant. Kakashi forced down the scenarios racing through his frantic mind as he bit his thumb; he was about to thrust the bloody digit to the ground to summon a tracker when he heard a noise from the bedroom.

Kakashi stared blankly at the open doorway for a second before walking through, dropping to his knees to look under the bed. He let out a slow breath as the baby blinked at him, innocently chewing on his rattle. Okay, so he might have overreacted a bit, but this week he was bound to be a little on edge.

"You're trying to drive me insane, aren't you? When did you become mobile anyway?" Kakashi sighed, a little amusement creeping into his voice. Naruto only grinned widely at him, squealing as he shook the rattle wildly and then threw it farther under the bed. The blond twisted his head to look for the missing toy, squirming over until he was close enough to grab it again and cram the end back into his mouth.

"All right you little menace, time to come out," Kakashi peeled off his flak jacket and edged beneath the bed frame, the wooden supports pressing into his shoulder blades as his fingers curled under the boy's arms and gently pulled him from his hiding place. Fortunately the Hokage had gotten used to him being a little late by now.

* * *

"You have got to be joking!" Kakashi stared at the man dumbfounded. The Hokage sighed and sat back in his chair, studying the teenager in front of him. "What did I do? Why are you punishing me?"

"Why do you assume that this assignment is a punishment?" Sarutobi asked calmly, eyes fixed on his hands as he went about repacking his pipe.

"Because you expect me to walk into Iwagakure, without backup in reserve, and in broad daylight. Given the timing, it can't be a coincidence." Three days hence marked the anniversary of Rin's death. Kakashi had been in the hospital at the time, recuperating from chakra exhaustion, and his teammate had elected to take a low level mission on her own while she waited for his recovery. Which would have been fine if not for the band of rogue Iwa shinobi that had ambushed her, unhappy that the war had ended some months earlier and thrilled to find a kunoichi from the enemy village at their mercy.

"The Tsuchikage offered to host the exams as a sign of good faith. I didn't choose the date or the location, and abstaining would have only given Onoki an excuse to feel insulted."

"You don't need me to go along though," the boy began. "There are plenty of others you could take-"

"-who have missions of their own. Your only responsibility of late has been Naruto, and Yoshino has already agreed to look after him until you get back."

"But-"

"Kakashi." The boy straightened, the subtle change in tone telling him that 'friendly conversation' had just shifted to 'chain of command.' "Be at the gate at 7, you can drop the boy off on the way."

"Yes, sir." Kakashi rose stiffly, settling the baby back into the carrier as he moved toward the door.

* * *

Kakashi decided to stop by the Yamanakas' flower shop on his way home. If he had to set out first thing in the morning, then he'd just have to pay his respects tonight. Inoichi nodded a greeting as he entered, the man bent forward over the counter where his daughter perched as he helped her to flip through a colorful picture book. The little girl watched the newcomers with bright eyes, fascinated by the sight of another child her age.

Kakashi selected a white chrysanthemum from the myriad of bundles, carefully keeping the blossom out of reach of Naruto's grasping fingers. He chuckled at the way the two blonds eyed each other as he approached the counter, both babies starting to babble at each other as if catching up with an old friend.

"How are you getting along?" Inoichi asked as he tucked the offered money into the till.

"I get to spend quality time with people who tried to kill me last year," Kakashi replied flatly. "I'm ecstatic, can't you tell?"

"Escort detail? " the man chuckled as the boy nodded. "Well, try to look on the bright side."

"Which is?"

"You gained a bit of a reputation in Iwa during the war, right? How would you feel if the tables were flipped, and you had a former enemy walk around your home unopposed, not a thing you could do about it?"

"Ticked," Kakashi snorted. It was a little reassuring in a way, to know that at least he wouldn't be the only one to feel uneasy. He watched as the girl scooted forward on the counter, close enough for the two babies to prod at each other as they started giggling. "I should go pack, but these two are getting along so well it almost seems a shame to break them up."

"Ino's a sweet girl, she makes friends with just about everyone," Inoichi smiled at his daughter. "Her mother is already turning her into a little flirt though. Say bye-bye to your little friend, sweety."

Ino looked at her father for a second before leaning in to bump her face against the boy's birthmarked cheek. Naruto grinned and wriggled happily at the attention. Kakashi left with a wave, heading over to leave the flower at the memorial stone before tackling the job of packing up what the two of them would need over the next few weeks.

* * *

**(A/N)** Finished this chapter earlier than expected, added a little pseudo naruino in there for someone179 as a thanks for the repeat reviews. I've already got the next chapter roughly sketched out, it'll pick up in Iwagakure. Classes start day after tomorrow and it'll take me extra time to work out some of the scenes, so this time it really will be probably 2 weeks before chapter 7 goes up.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy! Leave a review with your thoughts, I love to hear from you. ^_^


	7. Second International Chunin Exams

**Ages:**

Anko = 12 Kakashi = 14 1/2 Ibiki = 15 (almost 16) Ebisu = 16 Genma = 17

Aoba = 18 Raido = 19 Jiraiya = 38 Hokage = 56

* * *

Never in his life did Kakashi think that he would be grateful to walk through the gate of Iwagakure. He reflected, not for the first time, on how much he'd let his training slide over the past five months. After the six day hike – more than half of that through the mountains – the dull ache in his feet was more than enough to convince Kakashi that it wasn't the best idea to sit around for that long, at least not if he wanted to stay in top condition. His pride prevented him from showing any discomfort; he was the youngest of the four shinobi escorting the Hokage, and he had learned years ago that the runt on a mission had to prove that he could keep up with the group if he wanted to be taken seriously. He was having a difficult enough time as it was; Kakashi was just about ready to add some symmetry to the burn on Raido's face if the guy ruffled his hair like he was a little kid one more time.

The village itself was a breathtaking sight to behold. The architecture connected with the surrounding cliffs, the buildings flowing seamlessly into the ground as if civilization had simply sprung forth from the living mountain. Some small patches of green dotted the cityscape, but the climate was too arid to sustain much plant life within the village proper. As beautiful as the carved stonework was, it seemed so barren compared to the thick foliage that wove between the vibrantly painted rooftops of Konoha. The trees were one of the things Kakashi love the most about his home; after a day of rain the fresh scent of life wafted up from the leaves. Here in Iwa he suspected that rain only brought the smell of damp dust, or maybe silt, judging by the texture of the earth that he kicked at as he trudged forward.

What he hadn't been completely prepared for were the people. Rationally it made sense to him of course: in a village one expected to find villagers. But after dealing almost exclusively with Iwagakure's inhabitants on the battlefield, it seemed almost a shock to him that the majority of them would be so normal. Vendors called out to passers-by, trying to draw in customers for their wares. Children chased each other through the streets, playing at being ninja. Some shopkeepers were decorating their businesses and the air was already thick with fragrant cooking smells: preparations for the festival to be held that night on the eve of the tournament. The small group from Konohagakure drew some attention from the locals as they progressed toward the Tsuchikage's tower, but, surprisingly, no more than the entourages of the visiting daimyos or the delegations from other hidden villages.

After suffering through the nuisance of formal greetings – which seemed a bit too polite to be completely sincere – the Hokage and his escorts were shown to their accommodations to meet up with the rest of their party. Kakashi secretly hoped that he could arrange to bunk with the genin team instead of his traveling companions; the senbon that Genma constantly chewed had wedged a small gap in his teeth that whistled obnoxiously when he slept, and Sarutobi's snoring was even louder. He filed into the room after the rest, sliding the door shut behind him after a polite nod in parting to their guide and setting his pack down next to a potted fern by the wall before turning toward the others. When his face slammed into the floor moments later and he felt weight settling onto his back it occurred to him that the fern might not actually be a fern.

"You should be more careful about letting people get behind you," Anko cooed in his ear. He groaned as the others laughed and wrenched his head to look at her teammates seated at the table.

"Who gave the brat sugar?" Kakashi sighed. Ibiki just smirked and shook his head, while Ebisu pointed accusingly across the room at their chaperone. He should have known it would be Jiraiya; the man had developed a bit of a soft spot for the girl over the past few months, ever since her mentor's extra-curricular activities were uncovered and he had vanished. Jiraiya only smiled sheepishly and shrugged, escaping the members of the younger generation by following his sensei into the next room for a briefing.

"Got yourself a little girlfriend?" Aoba teased. The speed with which Anko scrambled off of the silver haired boy and the grimaces on both of their faces earned a few more snickers. Grabbing the hand that Aoba offered and pulling himself up, he lightly rapped the girl on the back of the head to show his lack of appreciation for her prank.

"Broken?" Ebisu asked as the younger teen gingerly probed the bridge of his nose, shaking his head after a little more inspection. Kakashi noticed the cast on the older boy's leg as he muttered, "Lucky."

"It's not my fault that you don't pay better attention to your surroundings." Anko grumbled as she rolled her eyes, tired of fielding the blame for the injury that prevented him from participating in final round.

"Maybe if you actually WARNED your allies when you set traps then—" Ebisu broke off with a grunt, a hand gripping the back of his shirt to pull him down as he tried to rise. Ibiki caught Kakashi's eye and subtly cocked his head toward the door, sick of hearing the two bicker for the millionth time.

"I'm getting a little hungry," Kakashi began nonchalantly, putting a hand on her shoulder, "do you know a decent place to find some food?"

Anko took the bait, grabbing his wrist and dragging him along as she darted out the door. Kakashi had gotten used to corralling the girl when she was hyper; she was another of the loners that Gai had "adopted" as a friend, and Kakashi often tagged along to keep them under control when they started feeding off of each other's energy. The last time he'd left them together unsupervised was right before Gai had decided that barreling in through the window was an impressive way to make an entrance, and Kakashi had a some strong suspicions as to who to thank for giving him that idea.

* * *

That evening Kakashi finally managed to find a little peace and quite, creeping up to the roof of the inn to stretch out after the others had gone to bed. He gazed up at the stars, picking out some of the constellations that he recognized and listening to the faint music that drifted over from the festival across town. After about half an hour he heard something rustling about below and when he lifted his head he saw a purple tuft of hair pop up over the edge.

"Can't sleep either?" The girl jumped a little at his voice, not expecting to find anyone else still up.

"Anxious for tomorrow. You coming to watch?" she clambered up to sit beside him.

"Yeah, I'm gonna sit with Jiraiya. The old man said that he wouldn't need all of us hanging around. I still don't know why he insisted I come along in the first place, the others are more than enough security." Kakashi sighed, noticing when she stiffened slightly. "You know something?"

"Well no, not really," Anko replied, drawing in the dust with her finger. "He probably just wants to keep an eye on you."

"But why?"

"Couldn't say," she shrugged, smiling grimly as she started to rub absently at the mark on the back of her neck. "He's been keeping close tabs on me though, sending me with Jiraiya or Tsunade whenever I get a mission outside the village. Probably making sure that I wasn't left behind to spy."

"Still doesn't explain why he'd want to look after me."

"Maybe," she hesitated. "You're supposed to be a prodigy right? Best of your generation?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kakashi turned to look at her.

"Sensei was too. He was always obsessed with being stronger, more powerful. Jiraiya told me that it started after his parents died; that he wanted to make sure that he was strong enough so that he never had to go through something like that again. In the end I guess he just … snapped … and stopped caring about anybody else, but no one paid enough attention until it was too late," Anko watched his face for a reaction. "Maybe if someone had, then they would have seen warning signs."

"So you think they're watching on the off chance that I start turning into a psychopath?" he replied softly, shuddering at the thought that he could be compared in any way to Orochimaru. He'd heard about the bodies that had been pulled out of the underground lab; the things that had been done to them were sickening.

"Well, you used to seem pretty obsessed too — like you were trying to prove something. But you've stopped being an arrogant, uptight ass, so I'm not worried. Ebisu on the other hand …" she joked, trying to lighten the some of the tension that had settled over the boy.

"I guess it's lucky we've got you around to drop boulders on him when he gets out of line then," Kakashi chuckled, giving her shoulder a friendly squeeze when she stuck her tongue out at him. "You should get some sleep, you've got a big day tomorrow."

The two crawled down the roof, climbing back in through the window and to their respective beds. Kakashi stared at the ceiling for a while before finally giving in to sleep, too humbled by his thoughts to pay any mind to the sounds that had annoyed him so much the past few nights.

**

* * *

(A/N) **This chapter mutated a little from my original line of thought, but that's probably a good thing since it's longer than I usually manage. I decided to break here so that I could give you guys something instead of making you wait till I finish writing the tournament. School is taking up even more time than I thought, so I'm not going to make any promises about when the next update will be, that way I don't have to break any.

Oh, and if you want a better sense of timeline, I've got it in my head that Orochimaru defected about 3 months before this, in between chapters 4 and 5.

Thanks for reading and for all the reviews and favorites, they have been very encouraging! ^_^ Leave a comment with your thoughts, hearing from readers keeps me motivated!


	8. The Big Day

**Just a reminder - ages:**

Anko = 12 Kakashi = 14.5 Ibiki = 15 Ebisu = 16 Genma = 17

Aoba = 18 Raido = 19 Jiraiya = 38 Hokage = 56

* * *

Kakashi awoke later than usual the next morning, his back stiff from where Anko had jumped him. He took advantage of the rare opportunity to bathe in the sweet silence, stretching his lanky limbs as his mind lazily rebooted. It was a nice change to just lie there, without a hungry infant calling for breakfast or a teammate nudging him awake to help break down camp. After a few minutes his stomach decided to voice it's complaints, however, so Kakashi forced himself up and went in search of something to placate it.

Most of the others from Konoha had already gone about their activities for the morning: Anko and Ibiki off to warm up together for the big event, and the three teenage jounin trailing along after the Sandaime for some sort of formal breakfast for the political leaders. Jiraiya and Ebisu were the only two still around, the former scribbling down something at the table while the latter was deeply engrossed in the scroll he was studying.

"It's about time you showed yourself," Jiraiya commented with a laugh, "I was about to come in and dump a pail of water on your head. The show starts in half an hour, so you better hurry and get dressed."

"What, no time for breakfast?"

"Should have thought of that before sleeping two hours later than everyone else," Ebisu grumbled under his breath.

"There will be food stalls on the way to the arena," Jiraiya replied, bouncing a crumpled up sheet of paper off the grumpy genin's head, "Hop to it now; the sooner we leave the sooner you can eat, and I want to get some decent seats."

* * *

Twenty minutes later they filed into the stadium, the two jounin helping Ebisu to navigate the stairs on his crutches. Kakashi watched out of the corner of his eye as the older boy settled into his seat, fussing petulantly with his sunglasses.

"Is he always this grouchy?" Kakashi whispered to the man at his side.

"A moody teenager with a broken leg who thinks he's getting shown up by younger peers after making a big fuss back home about how this was his time to shine?" Jiraiya snorted. "Frankly, I'm just glad that he's limiting himself to being sarcastic and passive-aggressive."

Kakashi shook his head and looked down onto the arena floor, watching with growing curiosity as the contestants filed in. Of the eight genin lined up on the field, it was surprisingly the two that he recognized that held his attention. Ibiki was leading a much too short Anko, the girl barely looking older than 7 and clinging to the older boy's arm as if she feared being swept away should she break contact.

"It was Ibiki's idea," Jiraiya commented, following Kakashi's gaze. "She was already one of the younger genin to enter, so he suggested that if she shave off a few years and play up the scared kid angle then strangers might think that she made it through on the efforts of her team. They might go easier on her, or at least underestimate her enough to let her take the upper hand."

"Being a kid never did me any favors."

"You didn't have the advantage of anonymity. With this new system most of the competition doesn't know who she is, they don't realized that she's using henge no jutsu. Not all genin are suspicious enough yet to question appearances by default, or callous enough to go full force against a child."

The spectators watched as most of the teenagers left the field, only Anko and an older boy from the Iwa team remaining behind for the first match. Kakashi had to give the girl credit for staying so deeply committed to her character; if he didn't know any better he would swear that she was about to wet herself. The genin from Iwa regarded her with bored eyes, clearly dissatisfied that he had drawn such a trivial opponent. He charged her as soon as the proctor started the match, looking to finish quickly rather than taking the more cautious approach by pulling back to get a sense of what he was up against.

Anko vanished in a puff of smoke as his blow landed, revealing a log left in her place. She popped up again behind him as small snakes erupting from her sleeves to tangle around the shinobi's legs, their fangs sinking into the flesh of his ankles as their bodies hindered his movements. The older boy struggled to free himself, but his movements began to turn sluggish, lacking some of the grace and control of his initial attack. Anko crouched down near his head; Kakashi couldn't make out what she was saying, but a moment later the shinobi surrendered. Jiraiya chuckled at the pride evident on the girl's face after her quick victory. At a signal from Anko he nodded and handed a small vial to Kakashi.

"Take the anti-venom down to the medics, would you? I've never been a fan of using poison, but it does force a quick resolution against the less competent."

Kakashi sighed, taking the vial and heading toward the stairs. It figured, just when he got comfortable he had to get up again. He was starting to suspect that the real reason he'd been allowed to stay behind was to be Jiraiya's errand boy. Most of the civilian spectators ignored him, too preoccupied as the next match began. A few of the Iwa shinobi watched him subtly, either recognizing him by sight or reputation. He had a lot of experience ignoring unwanted attention by now, so he simply stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked around for the infirmary.

The Iwa genin was already inside, holding his stomach as sweat dripped down his face. Kakashi left the anti-venom and quickly escaped just as the boy started retching. Outside he saw that the other shinobi from the Iwa team had pulled Anko aside, speaking intently with her. She still had the henge up even though she'd dropped the scared kid act, and it irked Kakashi to see the girl being bullied by someone twice her size.

"Anything wrong here?" The older boy looked up as Kakashi casually strolled up to them.

"We were just discussing some of your friend's tactics."

"The idiot jumped in head first without any intel – in the real world that will get you killed. She did him a favor by teaching him that lesson with a safety net." The Iwa nin narrowed his eyes at Kakashi's blunt remark, irritated at being rebuked by a stranger several years his junior. Anko's gaze darted back and forth between the two, intrigued by this new development.

"What makes you such an expert? Looks to me like you didn't even make it this far."

"Didn't enter, I've been a jounin for a little under a year and a half now," he offered his hand to the stranger. "Hatake Kakashi."

The Iwa nin started visibly at the name, eyes widening a fraction and deadening as the recognition hit him.

"You murdered my brother."

Ice flooded Kakashi's veins. He slowly lowered his hand, studying the eyes of the young man before him. He'd been so caught up dealing with the reminders of his own grief recently that he hadn't even thought to consider how many people here might hold a similar grudge against him - with just as much reason. Many enemies had died by his hand in battle, more than he liked to think about, but that was the life of a warrior, the life he had been raised for. To hear someone call him a murderer cut him to the core, especially so soon after being confronted by the traits he shared with a man he considered a monster.

"War is hell. A lot of us lost family," Kakashi dropped his head, letting out a long breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. "It might not mean much to you, but I am sorry. For whatever it's worth."

With a parting nod to Anko, Kakashi quietly walked back to the inn where their party was staying. He couldn't deal with those few glares. Before they had just been abstract faces, hating him for being an enemy; now all he saw were victims of circumstance, people like him who had suffered enough without having to see a living reminder of their pain.

**

* * *

(A/N) **Sorry it took me so long to get this up, I've been really busy with school. I'll have a break in December, so I should be able to update more consistently then. Chapter 9 (back in Konoha) is half done, and I hope to get it up soon as well. I'm too tired to beta this myself right now, but if anyone finds any typos you can feel free to PM any corrections. This chapter ended up a little different than I anticipated, but I'm just thrilled to push through my writer's block.

I'd love to know a little more about who my readers are, so if anyone wants to humor the author, I've got an age/gender poll on my profile. Thank you to the 5 who've already voted. The more returning readers I know I have, the guiltier I feel when I can't update regularly - so it's a good way to motivate me to write. Thanks for sticking with me, and for being so patient. Enjoy!


End file.
